Justin Bieber Falls Down Again, Gives Us All an Inspiring July Fourth Message

Can we be proud on America’s birthday? This year in particular, do we have much to celebrate? Here we are, nearing the final trimester before this accursed shadow baby of an election is born, a country riven with discord, plagued by dark, howling absurdities. We’ve fallen so far as a nation, and yet this weekend we are tasked with, what, synthesizing a feeling of optimism, of finding some hope and uplift in this American experiment, which has so catastrophically blown up in our faces, the lab on fire, everyone fighting over whether to push or pull the emergency-exit door open, all of us about to be consumed by the terrible, chemical flames of our own invention? How the heck are we supposed to find any optimism in that??

Well, as is often the case, we must turn to a Canadian (on Canada Day no less!) for the answer. A singing Canadian. No, sadly, I’m not talking about Shania Twain, or Drake, or Alanis, or Carly Rae, or even Anne Murray. I am talking, as it seems I am always talking these days, about Justin Bieber. A lad who, today and always, can teach us something about picking ourselves back up after we’ve taken a nasty spill. You see, Justin Bieber has fallen again—yes, again!—and in so doing, has offered us weary Americans (and all you despondent Remainers across the pond, I suspect) an important lesson.

Just two weeks ago, Justin Bieber fell into a hole. But the brave little squirrel scrambled back up out of that hole, and the show—both the one he was performing at the time and the larger show of life—continued on. And now, Bieber has slipped in some water while performing in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday night of this week. Us Weekly has pointed us all toward the video evidence. Bieber is seen splashing around with some dancers when, whoops!, down he goes, his wee feet whooshing up toward the rafters.

This would probably end many of us. We’d lie there, humiliated, in a damp heap, looking up at the swirling lights and searching for the Archangel Michael’s hand, descending to scoop us up and carry us away to heaven. A feeling, a wish, I’m sure many of us have had while watching the news these days. But not Justin Bieber, no sir and no ma’am. This inspiring Ontarian not only got back up, but as he strutted down the stage in the wake of his tumble, he said to his young fans: “Life’s about taking falls, and life’s about getting back up!” Is that not the most heartening thing you’ve heard in a long time?

Because Justin, of course, is right. Life is about falling down—not just our individual life, but the life of our society, our country. Falling down happens. But the world is made up of halves, of yin and yang, action and reaction. And so life is also about righting the ship, reemerging, a bit bruised or embarrassed maybe, but hey, still intact, and intent on getting things right next time. That is the message we Americans can take to heart this weekend. That the stumble, however disastrous, is not the end of the story. No, there is always what comes next, something triumphant, a sweet return to balance, another song, another dance. So thank you, Justin Bieber, for reminding us of that.

In that spirit, please do try to enjoy your weekends, all you fellow and faithful and hurting Americans. Spend time outside, go for a swim in whatever cool lake or ocean waters are near you, grill up some food, laugh with family or friends or one special person. Think about how far you’ve come since this same weekend last year, mourn what you’ve lost, take pride in what you’ve gained. Enjoy the splendor of this great and sad and troubled nation, so teeming with possibility it can sometimes choke itself on it. Just . . . have a good weekend. Do nothing more profoundly, proudly American than that.

And when, at some point before we all stumble back to work, you are standing on some roof or some hill or some high-school baseball field or some starry beach, and you are watching the fizzle and crack of fireworks in the night sky, those dazzling bouquets of bursting light, and you feel that wistful swell that all humans—even terrible, fattened, ungrateful Americans—feel when they look at fireworks, I hope you’ll toast a drink to Justin Bieber, raise a sparkler in his honor.

But if his words don’t fully do the trick, if you’re still feeling a bit low and despairing about the state of things, may I suggest you turn to some other wise words, from the young lady who posted the Twitter video of Justin’s inspiring message at that Jacksonville concert. Hopefully, that will cure what ails you, and all our American souls.